Dynastar Launches Snowboard Brand, Signs Chiodi

February 03, 2003

SALLANCHES, FRANCE. January , 2003. Skis Dynastar is launching a new snowboard brand: DYNASTAR Snowboards. The new brand debuts at the SIA trade show in Las Vegas, January 27-30, 2003. International Director of Marketing Jean-Frederick Pineau says of the launch: “Launching DYNASTAR Snowboard focuses consumer, retailer and rider awareness on our company’s most recognizable brand name. The DYNASTAR launch coincides with major new investments in boot, binding and board development.”

“Globally, the O’SIN brand name (the company’s predecessor in snowboards) suffered from lack of consumer and retailer awareness. Launching the DYNASTAR brand name, deliveres immediate recognition as a high quality brand through our heritage as a specialty brand known for building high-end alpine products in the Valley of Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc.”

Pineau says further, “This is a great way for us to work with retailers who already carry DYNASTAR alpine products and have dedicated resources for selling snowboards. At the same time, we will expand our distribution to retailers who are interested in carrying high quality snowboard products.”

To help launch the new brand, the company has beefed up its team roster. Most notable additions: 1998 USA Olympic Snowboard team rider, Ron Chiodi, and two-time World Boardercross champion, Xavier De LeRue. In addition to competing, the role of team riders has been redefined to include input on board design, graphic presentation, market trends and brand promotion.

According to Pineau, “We have excellent input and feedback from the team and we encourage more input from our riders in every market. Listening to our top snowboarders (De LeRue, Laurent Besse, Chiodi) and skiers (Jeremy Nobis, Guerlain Chicherit, Dave Swanick, Arno Adam) we realized that the values and spirit they saw in their individual sports were identical: Freedom, Emotion, and above all the Mountain. The new brand allows its riders to share the same brand, the same passion. The new 03/04 range is all about riding the mountain, in Big Mountain Free Ride or Big Mountain Freestyle. DYNASTAR snowboards, boots and binding all include technical features demanded by top riders in the sport.”

After eleven years of marketing Original Sin (aka O’SIN) snowboards, the company re-evaluated its position in the worldwide market and arrived at the strategic decision to re-brand its entire snowboard product collection. The O’SIN brand name is being discontinued. Snowboards, boots and bindings will all be re-branded as DYNASTAR.

In 1991, as niche markets developed in the United States, the Original Sin snowboard brand was developed to capitalize on the opportunity, specifically at snowboard specialty shops. As the market continued to develop, evolve and mature, the number of specialty snowboard shops decreased. The decrease in specialty snowboard shops resulted in a similar decrease in sales of the O’Sin brand. As the market matured, a significant percentage of snowboard retailers found the Original Sin brand name challenging, which was also sited as a factor in decreased sales worldwide. Concurrently, retailers in Europe, the USA and Canada voiced strong support for changing the company’s snowboard brand name to DYNASTAR.

In related news, Ron Chiodi has reached agreement to represent Dynastar Snowboards as competitor and brand ambassador. The former USA Olympic Team snowboarder will be competing in halfpipe, quarterpipe and big-air competitions throughout the year on new snowboard models from Dynastar.

He’ll work closely with Dynastar’s international design team to develop new snowboard products for the company, including his new signature pro model that will be introduced by the company in future months. Chiodi will also participate in retail launch events, promotional appearances, sales meetings, and trade shows on behalf of the new snowboard brand.